Irrigation system with ET based seasonal watering adjustment

• US 8,600,569 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hunter Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Woytowitz, Peter J., Shearin, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAUGHLIN, NATHAN L
• Application Number:
  US13/153,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 700282-284, 239/64, 239/67, 239/69, 137 781- 783
• US Class Current: 700/284
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering

Abstract

An ET based irrigation system includes a stand alone irrigation controller with a seasonal adjust feature and a stand alone weather station including at least one environmental sensor. The ET based irrigation system further includes a stand alone ET unit operatively connected to the irrigation controller and the weather station. The ET unit includes programming configured to calculate an estimated ET value using a signal from the environmental sensor and to automatically modify a watering schedule of the irrigation controller through the seasonal adjust feature based on the estimated ET value to thereby conserve water while maintaining plant health.

Claims

1. An irrigation system, comprising:

a stand alone irrigation controller comprising;

a control panel including a display and a plurality of user inputs that enable a user to enter a watering schedule including a run time, and to manually adjust a percentage adjustment value of a percentage adjustment feature;

a computer processor operatively connected to the control panel;

a memory connected to the computer processor;

a plurality of switches operatively connected to the computer processor for turning a power signal ON and OFF to a plurality of valves that deliver water to a plurality of sprinklers; and

programming stored in the memory to accept input from the user via the plurality of user inputs to implement the watering schedule, wherein during said run time, the computer processor operates ones of the plurality of switches to turn the power signal ON to one or more of the plurality of valves thereby delivering the water to ones of the sprinklers to irrigate an irrigation site, the programming further accepting input from the user via the plurality of user inputs to implement said percentage adjustment feature to increase or decrease the run time of the watering schedule by the percentage adjustment value;

a stand alone weather station different from the stand alone irrigation controller including at least one environmental sensor; and

a stand alone evapotranspiration (ET) control unit different from and operatively in communication with the stand alone irrigation controller and the stand alone weather station, the stand alone ET control unit installed on the irrigation site and comprising a memory storing programming that calculates an ET value using a signal from the at least one environmental sensor and communicates an ET adjustment value responsive to the ET value to the computer processor of the stand alone irrigation controller to automatically increase or decrease said percentage adjustment value of the percentage adjustment, said percentage adjustment feature configured to change said watering schedule by said percentage adjustment value.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the programming of the stand alone ET control unit provides the capability to enter a no-water window that automatically overrides the watering schedule.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the programming of the stand alone ET control unit provides the capability to automatically shut down any watering otherwise scheduled based on a detected event.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone weather station includes a solar radiation sensor, a temperature sensor, and a rain sensor, and the ET value is calculated using signals from the solar radiation sensor and the temperature sensor, and a plurality of pre-programmed constants.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone ET control unit is operatively connected to the stand alone weather station through a wireless communications link.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone ET control unit is configured to receive power from the stand alone irrigation controller.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone weather station includes a solar radiation sensor, a temperature sensor, and a rain sensor, and the ET value is calculated by the stand alone ET control unit using signals from the solar radiation sensor, the temperature sensor, and a plurality of pre-programmed constants, wherein data entered by a user determines at least one pre-programmed constant.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone ET control unit communicates the ET adjustment value to the stand alone irrigation controller through a data port of the stand alone irrigation controller.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the stand alone ET control unit includes manually actuable controls configured to enable the user to input an overall watering adjustment by selectively increasing and decreasing an estimated maximum ET setting, the memory storing programming that calculates the ET value using the signal from the at least one environmental sensor and a calculation reference point based on the estimated maximum ET setting entered by the user.

10. The irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the percentage adjustment feature comprises a seasonal adjustment feature.

11. The irrigation system of claim 1 further comprising an ET housing housing said stand alone ET control unit.

12. The irrigation system of claim 11 wherein said ET housing comprises a handheld housing.

13. The irrigation system of claim 11 wherein said ET housing is mountable to a housing of said stand alone irrigation controller.

14. The irrigation system of claim 1 wherein the ET adjustment value comprises a percentage.

15. An evapotranspiration (ET) based irrigation system, comprising:

an interface including a display and a plurality of user inputs that enables a user to enter a watering schedule including a run time and to manually adjust a percentage adjustment value of a percentage adjustment feature;

a computer processor operatively connected to the interface;

a memory connected to the computer processor to store the watering schedule;

a plurality of switches operatively connected to the computer processor and configured to turn a power signal ON and OFF to a plurality of valves that deliver water to a plurality of sprinklers;

at least one environmental sensor configured to generate a signal representative of an environmental condition the computer processor configured to calculate an ET value based at least in part on the signal from the at least one environmental sensor and determine an ET adjustment value responsive to the ET value; and

programming stored in the memory to accept input from the user via the plurality of user inputs to implement the watering schedule, wherein during said run time, the computer processor operates ones of the plurality of switches to turn the power signal ON to one or more of the plurality of valves thereby delivering the water to ones of the sprinklers to irrigate an irrigation site, the programming further accepting input from the user via the user inputs to implement said percentage adjustment feature to increase or decrease the run time of the watering schedule by the percentage adjustment value, the programming automatically increasing or decreasing said percentage adjustment value of the percentage adjustment feature based on the ET adjustment value, said percentage adjustment feature configured to change said run time of said watering schedule by said percentage adjustment value.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the programming calculates the ET value based on the signal from the environmental sensor and a plurality of pre-programmed constants, wherein data entered by the user determines at least one pre-programmed constant of a given site.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the programming calculates the ET value based on the signal from the environmental sensor and a plurality of pre-programmed constants.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the interface includes manually actuable switches for selectively increasing and decreasing an estimated maximum ET setting, the computer processor calculating the ET value using the signal from the at least one environmental sensor and the estimated maximum ET setting entered by the user.

19. The ET based irrigation system of claim 15 wherein the percentage adjustment feature comprises a seasonal adjustment feature.

20. The ET based irrigation system of claim 15 wherein the ET adjustment value comprises a percentage.

21. A method of controlling a plurality of valves on an irrigation site, the method comprising:

accepting inputs from a user that enable the user to enter a watering schedule including a run time, and to manually adjust a percentage adjustment value of a percentage adjustment feature;

storing the watering schedule;

receiving a signal representative of a current environmental condition on an irrigation site;

calculating an evapotranspiration (ET) value based at least in part on the signal;

determining an ET adjustment value responsive to the ET value;

selectively turning a power signal ON to a plurality of valves that deliver water to a plurality of sprinklers located on the irrigation site in accordance with the watering schedule;

implementing said percentage adjustment feature to increase or decrease the run time of the watering schedule by the percentage adjustment value; and

automatically increasing or decreasing said percentage adjustment value of the percentage adjustment feature based on the ET adjustment value, said percentage adjustment feature configured to change said watering schedule by said percentage adjustment value.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the ET value is calculated based on the signal and a plurality of predetermined constants.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the estimated ET value is calculated based on signals generated by a solar radiation sensor and a temperature sensor located on the irrigation site, and a plurality of predetermined constants.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein data based on the signals generated by the solar radiation sensor and the temperature sensor is transmitted wirelessly across the irrigation site.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the ET value is calculated based on the signal and a plurality of predetermined constants, wherein data entered by the user determines at least one predetermined constant.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the estimated ET value is calculated based on data generated by a solar radiation sensor and a temperature sensor located on the irrigation site, and a plurality of predetermined constants, wherein data entered by the user determines at least one predetermined constant.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the percentage adjustment feature comprises a seasonal adjustment feature.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the ET adjustment value comprises a percentage.